Security Tip 1 of 3

Security Tip 1 of 3

Don’t be fooled by phishing.

“Phishing is an attempt by an individual or group to solicit personal information from unsuspecting users by employing social engineering techniques. Phishing emails are crafted to appear as if they have been sent from a legitimate organization or known individual.”

— United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team

Follow these guidelines to stay safe:

Watch for forceful/faked urgency to get you to respond before you think.

Phishing emails often offer a prize or reward to tempt you to click on a link.

They may ask you to provide your password or other confidential data for security purposes. You must be 100% sure you know the sender before you ever provide confidential information.

Website addresses that are similar to, but not the same as, the real thing are commonly found in phishing emails. (e.g. www.gØØgle.com vs www.google.com; www.twiter.com vs www.twitter.com)

Emails may use “masked” links that look like a trusted website address but take you somewhere else when you click on it. Top tip: hovering over the link before clicking should display the actual address.

Emails may appear to come from a senior employee at your organization.